The University of Nebraska Omaha, often referred to as UNO, is a publicresearch university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States.[4] Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was originally known as the University of Omaha.[5][6] Meant to provide a Christian-based education free from ecclesiastical control, the university served as a strong alternative to the city's many successful religiously affiliated institutions.[7] The university became a public municipal institution in 1930 and was relocated to its current location in central Omaha in 1938.[5] It was integrated into the University of Nebraska system in 1968.

Serving as Nebraska's premier metropolitan university, UNO continues to rapidly expand to meet the growing demands of the city of Omaha and the state of Nebraska. Since the year 2000, the university has more than tripled its student housing and is currently building a 450 bed student dormitory and academic space on its south campus.[5][8] It has also recently constructed modern facilities for its engineering, information technology and business programs.[5] UNO currently offers more than 200 programs of study across 6 different colleges and has over 60 classroom, student, athletic, and research facilities spread across 3 campuses.[9][10] The university expects to enroll 20,000 students by the year 2020.[11]

The original Omaha University was founded in 1908 in the Kountze Place neighborhood of North Omaha. The first classes were located in the Redick Mansion, once at North 24th and Pratt Streets, from 1909 through 1917. As the university was established a few blocks north of the Presbyterian Theological Seminary, most of its early faculty were recruited from Seminary teachers, as well as the faculty of Bellevue College. There were 26 students in the first year, most of whom had graduated from Omaha Central High School. Three of the University's first four presidents were ordained Presbyterian ministers.[13][14] Two other buildings on the original campus included Jacobs Hall, a gymnasium erected in 1910, and Joslyn Hall, a classroom building erected in 1917.

Jacobs Hall was a gymnasium facing North 24th Street, built with $14,000 from the sale of land donated by Lillian Maul. The land, the first donation to the university, was near the present West Dodge campus of the university. It was the first new building constructed on the university campus. Joslyn Hall was built with funds donated by a well-known resident, George A. Joslyn. Donating $25,000 toward the building, he stipulated the school match that with another $25,000 in a year. The building was located just north of Redick Hall and was finished in January 1917. Joslyn Hall had three stories and a basement, with a total of thirty classrooms that accommodated 750 students. The building included chemistry and physics laboratories, an auditorium and music department.[15] Redick Hall was sold and moved in February 1917 to Minnesota, where it was adapted for use in a resort.

In the early 1920s a proposed "magnificent campus" was slated for development between 21st and 25th Avenues, bounded by Kountze Park and the Carter Lake Park. In 1927, businessmen formed the North Omaha Activities Association in order to redevelop Saratoga School's playing field into a football field for the University's football team. With new bleachers built to accommodate a crowd of one thousand, the Saratoga Field was home to OU's football team until 1951.[16] The school also served as OU's science call from 1917 to 1926.[17]

The university moved from the North Omaha campus to its present main location at 60th and Dodge Street in 1938. The old campus buildings were redeveloped for a time as apartments and offices. In June 1964 Jacobs and Joslyn halls were the last two original OU buildings at 24th & Pratt Streets to be demolished. They were taken down in the early 1960s to make way for a 12-story Omaha Housing Authority apartment building for the elderly, which was completed in 1965.[15]

UNO is classified as a doctoral/research university in the latest Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. UNO is the home of the Peter Kiewit Institute a $70 million state-of-the-art computer science facility and engineering facility, giving the university one of the premier computer science, management information systems (MIS) and bioinformatics programs in the region. PKI houses UNO's College of Information Science and Technology, UNL's College of Engineering and Technology, and the Holland Computing Center, which houses the Firefly supercomputer.[23] The College of Information Science and Technology offers undergraduate/graduate degrees in Computer Science, Management Information Systems, Bioinformatics (graduate degree offered in collaboration with UNMC's Pathology's graduate program), Information Assurance, and Information Technology Innovation. In 2002, UNO became the first university in Nebraska to offer an ABET accredited computer science degree and the only university in the state with an ABET accredited information systems program.[24]

UNO's School of Public Administration [1] is a national leader in public service education, with five of its programs ranked in the nation’s top 25 by U.S. News & World Report [2]. The school offers a nationally-ranked Master of Public Administration degree [3] that is also offered online [4].

UNO's Division of Continuing Studies,[25] which offers the Bachelor of General Studies, is ranked in the nation's top 20 Best Online Bachelor's Programs by U.S. News & World Report[26] for 2013 and 2014.

The University of Nebraska Omaha is located in midtown Omaha, with a campus separated in two by Elmwood Park (The campus north of Elmwood is referred to as 'North Campus' and the campus south of Elmwood as 'South Campus'). UNO also operates the Kaneko-UNO Library, at 12th and Jones streets in downtown Omaha, and focuses on and offering research scientists, business leaders, teachers, visual artists, and students access to resources and materials not in their day-to-day environment.

The North Campus is the largest and primary campus for the University of Nebraska Omaha. The following colleges and their associated facilities are located on the North Campus:

University of Nebraska Omaha North campus

College of Arts and Sciences

College of Communication, Fine Arts, and Media

College of Education

College of Public Affairs and Community Service

Graduate Studies

International Studies

Service-Learning Academy

Additionally, the North Campus is also the home to the Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library, the Strauss Performing Arts Center, the UNO Art Gallery, and the Black Box Theater, a state-of-the-art facility with mobile seating units that allow a customizable and trans-formative space.

University Village and Maverick Village student housing complexes, each composed of multiple buildings, are spread across the western edge of the North Campus, and additional housing is present on South Campus.

The HPER (Health, Physical Education, and Recreation) building is a recently renovated complex that houses the Athletic Department for the Division I Omaha Mavericks as well as student fitness areas. Attached is the Sapp Field House and Al F. Caniglia Field. The Pep Bowl is located near Caniglia Field.

Scott Campus (formerly Pacific Campus) houses the primary facilities for the College of Business Administration and the College of Information Science and Technology, which includes the Peter Kiewit Institute, the Charles W. Durham School of Architectural Engineering, and the Firefly supercomputer. The Scott Technology Center incubator, which aims to assist start-up enterprises, is also located on the Scott Campus. The Scott Data Center and Scott Conference Center are other features of Scott Campus. The campus was renamed in the Fall of 2016 to honor Walter Scott Jr.

On June 3, 2015, it was announced that the new athletic arena will be named Baxter Arena.[28]

KVNO 90.7 FM is produced and broadcast from UNO's North Campus. The station's format is primarily classical music, although approximately 10% of its broadcast time is devoted to athletic and campus events. MavRadio (HD FM 90.7-2) is a student produced college/indie station also produced and broadcast from UNO's North Campus. The Gateway is the school's student newspaper, published bi-weekly during the spring and fall academic semesters.